Engine protective system



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C. N. REAVIS ENGINE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM 2 Sheets-Sheet l Filed Deo.

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ENGINE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM Filed Deo, 14, 1944 7 2 sheets-sheet 2 FAn/Afm? naar suf/fc /O/L SWITCH l ya a 29 22 2f? K Inventor Zar/fJ/Kea wt's/ Patented Sept. 30, 1947 ENGINE PROTECTIVE SYSTEM Charles N. Reavis, Raleigh,

thirds to Silas B. Coley,

N. C., assigner of two- Raleigh, N. C.; Charlotte L. Reavis administratrixof said Charles N. Reavis, deceased Application December 14, 1944, Serial No. 568,125 3 Claims. (Cl. 12S- 198) This invention relates to an electric protective system for the engine of a motor Vehicle, and the primary object of the invention is to provide means to automatically render the engine inoperative within a short time after the occurrence of a condition which is detrimental to the engine if the latter is allowed to continue to operate for an extended period of time.

More particularly, the present invention contemplates the provision of an efficient system of the above kind, by means of which the engine will be automatically rendered inoperative within a short time after the engine starts to overheat due to failure of the cooling system thereof, or within a short time after the lubricating system of the engine fails.

Another object of the invention is to provide a protective system of the above kind which may be readily produced and installed, and which is comparatively simple in construction and hlghll7 efficient in operation.

More specific objects and features of the invention will become apparent from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, and the invention consists in the novel form, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter more fully described, shown in the drawings and claimed.

In the drawings, wherein like reference characters indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View illustrating the present invention as applied to an internal combustion engine having a dual ignition system including a pair of distributors.

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, illustrating the invention as employed in connection with Diesel engines.

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view showing details of the thermal device for releasably holding the contact actuator in inoperative position, and

Figure showing further details of the installation illustrated in Figure 2.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 indicates a casing communicating with the upper header of the radiator of an engine cooling system. Pivoted at E within this casing is a rod 1 having a float 8 on one end thereof which is subjected to the level of the water within the casing 5. The other end of rod 'I carries a contact 9 which is movable into or out of engagement with a further contact I0 that is fixed to and insulated from ,the casing 5. The contact I0 is located above the 4 is a fragmentary elevational Viewv ject the under side of the diaphragm contact 9, and a iiexible contact II is disposed at the opposite side of the contact 9 and carried by a support I2 rigid with and in electrical connection with the casing 5. The contact Il is normally tensioned to engage a second fixed contact I3 carried by and insulated from the casing 5, and it is noted that the casing 5 is grounded, as at I4. The arrangement is such that when the level of the water in the casing 5 becomes unduly low, as when the engine becomes overheated, the rod 1 will have swung in a direction to engage the contact 9 with the contact I0 for a purpose to be later described. The arrangement is also such that when the water rises to the proper level within the casing 5, the Contact 9 will engage contact II and flex Iche same so as to dsengage it from the contact I3.

The system further includes an oil-pressure switch including a diaphragm I5 mounted in a casing I6 and having alpin I'I that projects upwardly through the top of said casing I6. The casing I6 has an inlet nipple I8 by means of which the casing I6 is placed in communication with the engine lubricating system so as to sub- I5 to the pressure within said system.

Carried by the casing I6 is a shell I9 within which a multiple contact of bell crank form, is pivoted, as at 20. One arm 2l of the multiple contact is arranged to engage a xed contact 22 carried by and insulated from the casing I6. The other arm 22 of the multiple contact extends between and is arranged Ato alternately engage the spaced fixed contacts 23 and 24 mounted at opposite sides thereof. These contacts 23 and 24 are carried by the shell I9 and insulated from the latter. Movement of diaphragm I5 and the multiple contact 2l, 22 is yieldingly resisted by a helical compression spring 24' whose strength may be adjusted by means of an adjusting screw 25. The spring 24 is arranged so that it acts in opposition to the pressure of the oil against the diaphragm I5, and such pressure of the oil actuates the multiple contact 2 I, 22 in a direction to disengage contact 2l from contact 22 and contact 22 from contact 23 and into engagement with` contact 24. The arrangement is such that when the pressure in the lubricating system of the engine. is below proper operating pressure, the contact 2| will engage the contact 22 and the contact 22 will engage the contact 23. On the other hand, when the pressure in the lubricating system is sufliciently high for proper operating conditions, diaphragm I5 will be flexed so as to disengage the contact 2| from the contact 22 and to simultaneously disengage contact 22' from contact 23 and engage said contact 22 with contact 24.

The output terminal 26 of a generator 21, driven by the engine, is connected by a wire 28 with the contact 23. One terminal of a storage battery 29 is connected by-a wire 30 with the Contact 24,. The generator 21 is grounded, as -at 3| while the other terminal of battery 29 is grounded, as at 32. Also, shell |9 and casing |B are grounded, as at 33. A wire 34 connects contact Il) with contact 22, and contacts 2| and 22 are insulated from each other.

The system further includes a time-.delay switch that embodies three parallel and adjacent flexible contacts 35, 3E and 31, which are insulated from each other but which are arranged so that they can be ilexed to engage each other at their free ends. This switch also includes afixed contact 38 normally engaged by a iiexible contact 39, and a lamp socket 49 'is provided into engagement with which the contact 39 may move when disengaged from contact Y33. A sliding contact actuator 4| is suitably mounted adjacent the free ends of the contacts 35, 36 and 31, and is yieldingly urged toward .the latter by `means of a helical tension spring V42. The arrangement is such that when "the spring '42 moves the actuator '4| in one direction, said actuator engages the contact 35 and ilexes it into'engagement with the contact 35, Yand then iiexes contact 39 into engagement with Contact 31,. The'contacts 35, 3B and 31 are normally separated, andthe actuator-4| is releasably held in retracted position against the action of spring 42 by means of a thermal device, generally indicated at '43 Aand detailed in Figure 3. As shown in the latterigure, this thermal device .includes ia stationary hollow threaded stud 44 on 4which is rotatably fitted a sleeve l44u, that is provided with teeth 45. The sleeve Mais prevented from rotating relative to stud 44 by means of fusible solder or the like placed between the stud and the sleeve, as at 46. Disposed'within the Ystud 44 fis a heating element 41, one terminal of which is connected by a vwire 48 with contact 38. The other terminal of heating element 41is connected by wire v49 with-wire 34. The other terminal of heating element 41 is connected by a wire 49 `with the wire 34 at a point "intermediate the contacts klll and 22. The actuator 4| includes a partiarranged to engage the free end of contact 39 so as to 'disengage the latter from the Contact 38 when said actuator is moved bythe spring 42 to cause engagement of the contacts 35, 36 and'31 witheach other.

Contact .35 is grounded at 5|, and contact 22 is connected 'by a wire 52 'with one terminal of each of a pair of lamp sockets `53 and k53o: and with one side of a resistor 54. The other side of resistor '54 is connected by awire 55 with `the contact 39, while the other 'side of a lamp socket 53 is `connected by a wire V'56 with the contact |3. The other side of lamp socket 53a is connected by a wire '51 `to one terminal offa test switch `58 whose other terminal is grounded, as at 59. Contact 35 Iis connected by a wire 69 with the feed terminal `of one distributor 6| .of the dual ignition system of the engine, said wire 6U having a fuse 62 therein. Contact 31 is connected by a wire 83 with the feed terminal of a second distributor `|54 of the dual ignition system of the engine, and said wire -53 has a fuse 62a therein. In practice, suitable signal lamps will -of course be 'placed in the sockets 40, "53 and 53a. The actuator 4| has a lug -at 65 that-engages with gear 4 45 of the thermal device 43 so as to normally hold said actuator 4| in retracted position.

Assuming that the engine is operating at a speed to drive the vehicle at a speed of more than 15 to 18 miles an hour, and that the level of the water in the casing 5 should unduly lower so as to result `in overheating of the engine, the contact 9 will engage contact 9 so as to ground the latter through the ground |4. At this time,

Acurrent will fiow from wire 52 through resistor 54, Wire 55, contact 39, contact 38, wire 48, heating coil '41, and wire 49, to contact I0. Thus, the circuit of the'heating coil 41 is closed so that the fusible element or solder 46 will be melted within a predetermined time for freeing the parts 44a and 45, thereby allowing spring 42 to move -actuator 4| to the right of Figure l, This causes Contact 39 to be disengaged from contact 38 so as to break the circuit of the coil 41 and to cause the lamp in the socket 43 to be lighted. Atthe same time, the feed terminals of distributors 61 and G4 will be grounded so as to render the engine inoperative. The current flows from the feed terminal of distributor 6| through wire 69, contact 35, and Contact 36, to ground 5|. From the feed terminal of distributor 64, the current ows through wire 53, contact 31, and contact 36, to ground 5|. It will be noted that when the low water condition causes grounding of contact i8, the circuit of the lamp in socket 53 will be closed to warn the driver that the engine will be stopped within a short time. In lighting the lamp of socket 53, the current ows by way of wire 52, through socket 53, wire 56, contact 3, and contact to ground E4. When the level of the Water lowers further so that contact 9 engages contact IlLthe circuit of the lamp in socket 53a is closed so as to indicate that the danger has increased to the point where the system Will shortly render the engine inoperative. At this time, the current flows from wire 52 through socket 53a, wire 51, wire 49, wire 34, contact l0, and contact 9, to ground I4. When the water in the casing 5 is at the proper high level, contact 9 will be disengaged from contact |0 and will hold contact vIl out of engagement with Contact I3, thereby breaking the circuit of heating element 41 and Ythat of the lamp in socket 53. If the engine is idling, the current will be derived from generator 21 because the oil pressure will be insufficient to disengage contact 2| from contact 22 and contact 22 from contact 23. At this time, the current flows from generator 21 through wire 28, contact 23, and contact 22', to the main feed wire 52. However, when the engine operates at a higher speed and the oil pressure is increased, the contact 2| will be disengaged from contact 22 and contact 22 will disengage vfrom Contact 23 and engage contact 24, thereby causing the Vcurrent to be derived from the battery 29 by flowing through wire 39, contact 24, and contact 22', to wire 52.

After operation of the system, the actuator 4| maybe reset in retracted position by means of a reset button 66. This reset button is arranged to engage the contact 31 and is movable toward the actuator 4| so as to shift the latter to retracted position by forcing the contacts 35, 35 and 31 against said actuator 4| and moving the latter against the tension of spring 42. The actuator 4| will be retained in this retracted position when reset, if the reset button 66 is operated after the solderhas cooled and hardened again. The solder is provided between the stud and sleeve, and the latter is `held on therstud by discd.

The system operates substantially the same as described above in case the pressure of oil in the lubricating system unduly lowers. When the latter occurs, the contact 2l will be engaged with contact 22 so that the Wire 3d is connected with the ground 33 through contact 22, contact 2l, and casing i6. If the generator is then operating at a higher than engine idling speed, the current derived from said generator will be sufficient to energize heating element il so that it will melt the fusible element it of the thermal device 133, but it is to be understood that the current derived from generator 2l when operating at lower speeds will be insufficient to energize heating element Il to the extent that it will melt the fusible element li. Assuming that the oil pressure in the lubricating system has unduly lowered, as mentioned above, the current will ilow from generator 2l through wire 28, contact 23, contact 22', wire 52, resistor 5G, wire 55, contact 39, Contact S3, wire 48, heating element lil, Wire 59, wire 34, contact 22, contact 2l, and casing I6, to ground 33, thereby closing the Circuit of the heating element Cil. At the same time, current will flow from wire 52 through socket 53a, wire 5l, wire 129, wire 3c, contactr 22, contact 2l, and casing i6, to ground 33. This will cause lighting of the lamp in socket 53a so as to warn the driver that the system has been rendered operative and that the engine will be stopped within a short period of time or as soon as the fusible element is melted. This occurs in the same manner as previously described and when the actuator il is released and actuated by the spring 52, the distributors 6l and 5G will be grounded in the same way.

As shown in Figure 2, the installation for Diesel engines is the same as that for internal combustion engines employing distributors, except that wire 52 is connected with wire 63 by a jumperwire 63 instead of being connected to the distributor 65, and. the wire 60 is connected with the feed terminal of an emergency stop solenoid 69 instead of being connected to the distributor El. The other terminal of solenoid 69 is grounded at 1B, and such solenoid is part of standard equipment on vehicles powered by Diesel engines, such equipment acting, when the solenoid is energized, to cause stopping of the engine. This equipment usually includes a lever 'H (See Fig. 4), for actuating a clutch l2 between the engine blower or air compressor 'H3 and its operating motor 1s, the solenoid S8 acting to engage the lever 'll so as to hold it in the position wherein the clutch 12 is engaged. The arrangement is such that when the solenoid E59 is energized, the lever 'H is released and moves by gravity or through the action of a spring 'i5 to disengage clutch 'l2 and thereby disconnect the motor l from the blower or compressor i3. When the blower or compressor 73 is thus thrown out of operation, supply of air under pressure to the engine is discontinued so that the latter is rendered inoperative. In this embodiment, the contact 36 is disconnected from the ground, or is not grounded, as at 5| in Figure 1. The current will flow, after actuator il has caused engagement of contacts 35, 36 and 3l, from wire 52 through wire 58, wire 63, contacts 31, 35 and 35', and wire 6D, to solenoid 69. This causes the solenoid S9 to be energized so as to release the lever 'H and permit the latter to throw the blower or compressor 13 out of operation to stop the engine as explained above. Otherwise, the system of Figure 2 is the same as that shown and described in connection 6 with Figure 1, and remaining parts of Figure 2' are indicated by the same reference characters as the corresponding parts of Figure l. It is accordingly thought that the circuits can be readily traced in Figure 2 in view of the description thereof in connection with Figure 1, and without further explanation thereof herein. In both cases, an undesirable operating condition of the engine first causes the lighting of a warning light so that the driver is apprised of the fact that the engine will be rendered inoperative withinv a short time by reason of such operating condition. This will loe followed within a short time by stopping o-f the engine automatically through the operation of the time-delay switch embodying actuator lll, heating coil or element lll, etc.

The engine is not immediately thrown out of operation, and the operator is thus given an opportunity to move out of danger before the engine is stopped. For instance, should the undesirable condition occur when the vehicle is crossing railroad tracks, the engine will continue to run for a sufficient time to enable the operator to drive the vehicle off of the tracks. On the other hand, should the vehicle be approaching an intersection or railroad crossing, the operator can immediately throw the engine out of operation in the ordinary way before reaching the intersection or railroad crossing. He is warned of the need for the latter action because a Warning signal is lighted before the system operates to render the engine inoperative.

y From the foregoing description, it is believed that the construction and operation, as well as the advantages of the present invention, will be readily understood and appreciated by those skilled in the art. Minor' changes in details 0f construction illustrated and described may be resorted to, such as fairly fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed. It will be noted that the driver cannot hold the reset button in inwardly pressed position and continue to operate the engine because that action grounds the distributors from contacts 35 and 31 through contact 36, or causes current to flow to solenoid 69 via wire 63, contacts 31, 36 and 35 and wire 60.

What I claim is:

1. The combination with the pressure lubricating system of an internal combustion engine and a device whose operation is vital to the 0D- eration of the engine and which includes a circuit adapted to be closed to render the device inoperative and thereby stop the engine, of electrical means for rendering said device inoperative so as to stop the engine, said means embodying a spring-closed time-delay switch controlling said circuit and including a fusible element retaining the time-delay switch in open position and a heating element for melting said fusible element and permitting the time-delay switch to close said circuit, switch means operable by said time-delay switch to render the heating element inoperative when said circuit is closed, and an oil pressure switch subjected to the pressure of said lubricating system and operable upon a predetermined drop in the oil pressure to render said heating elementl operative when the time-delay switch is open.

2. The combination with the cooling and pressure lubricating systems of an internal combustion engine and a device whose operation is vital to the operation of the engine and which includes a circuit adapted to be closed to render th'e device inoperative and thereby stop the engine, of electrical means for rendering said device inoperative. seas to s top the engine, said means embody ing a spring-closed time-delay switch control.-

ling said circuit and including a fusible element retaining the time-delay switch in open position av heating element for melting said fusible element and permitting the time-delay switch to close, said circuit, switch means operable by said time-delay switch to render the heating element inoperative when said circuit is closed, a generator, a battery, an cil pressure switch subjected to. the pressure of said lubricating system and operable upon a predetermined drop in the oil pressure to render said heating element operative when the time-delay switch is open and to connect said generator to one side of the heating element, said oil pressure switch further being operable by a predetermined rise in the oil pressure to render said heating element inoperative and to disconnect the generator from and conneet one side o# the battery to said one side of said heating element when the time-delay switch is open, a warning signal, and a iioat switch in the radiator of the cooling system operable upon a predetermined drop in the radiator water level to render said heating element and said signal operative when the time-delay switch is open and to render said heating element and said signal inoperative upon a, predetermined rise in such water. level.

3. The combination with the cooling system of an internal combustion engine and a device whose operation is vital to the operation of the engine and which includes a circuit adapted to be closed to. render the device inoperative andV thereby stop the engine, electrical means for rendering said device inoperative so as to stop the engine, said means embodying a spring-closed time-delay switch controlling said circuit and including a fusible element retaining the time-delay switch in open position and a heating element for melting said fusible element and permitting the time-delay switch to close said circuit, switch means operable by the time-delay switch to render the heating element inoperative when said circuit is closed, a warning signal, and a floatl switch in the radiator of the cooling system operable upon a predetermined drop in the radiator water level to render said heating element andv said signal operative when the time-delay switch is open and to render said heating element and said signal inoperative upon a predetermined rise in such water level.

CHARLES N. REAVIS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,968,828 Hardison Aug. '7, 1934 2,175,762 Raney s Oct. 10, 1939 1,404,796 Schofield Jan. 31, 1922 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 8,435 England Apr. 9, 1912 

